


Eye Troubles

by nofaceghoul



Series: domestic quinx drabbles [2]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Canon Compliant, Domestic, Eyes, Pre-Canon, just the discussion and general topic of, no actual eye trauma or anything
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-25
Updated: 2016-08-25
Packaged: 2018-08-10 23:08:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7865092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nofaceghoul/pseuds/nofaceghoul
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>“I think it’s stylish, Mucchan,” Saiko piped up finally, bringing her empty plate to Haise to wash.</i>
  <br/>
  <i>Mutsuki blinked. “Really?”</i>
  <br/>
  <i>Saiko tossed a grin over her shoulder. “Yeah. I think you should make it a permanent addition to your wardrobe.”</i>
</p><p> </p><p>The story of Mutsuki's eyepatch.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Eye Troubles

**Author's Note:**

> This one's a little more Mutsuki-centric. I can't promise each Quinx is gonna get their own drabble, in fact i'm pretty sure they won't, but i wanted to write this one for sure.

The doctors had told them to be careful. Report any changes out of the ordinary, that sort of thing. They had been told what to expect, though of course it was only potential effects that were outlined. The investigators were glorified guinea pigs after all, and anything they could expect to happen to them from here on out was really up in the air.  


The Quinx surgery hadn’t been performed before them.  


There hadn’t been anything to report, initially. Everyone felt fine, felt great, focused mostly on work and adjusting to life in the Chateau. It wasn’t long before something gave, and that something, someone, was Mutsuki.  


He was taking an exceptionally long time in the upstairs bathroom, and Shirazu was bouncing back and forth in front of the door, jittery. “C’mooon Mutsuki, you’ve been in there forever!” He whined. “Are ya takin’ a massive shit or somethin’?”  


Mutsuki eventually snapped after hearing variations of this from Shirazu for several straight minutes. “I’m going to be awhile!” He barked from the other side of the door, stress laced in his voice. Shirazu jumped at the tone, not expecting something like that to come from his usually quiet, nervous teammate.  


“Jeez, what did you eat?” He mumbled sullenly, skulking off to go use the bathroom downstairs by the training room.  


On the other side of the door, Mutsuki was wondering something similar, staring back at his reflection with one blood red eye and clouded ink sclera that just wouldn’t go away. Panic thrummed electric in his veins, thin frame trembling so much that he had to hold himself up against the sink. It wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard Mutsuki willed it to fade. What was he supposed to do about this?  


Mutsuki came down to the kitchen table half an hour later, the rest of the squad already there and mostly done with their breakfast (except for Urie, who regularly woke up an hour earlier than the rest of them and took his to go).  


“You woke up late, Mutsuki, did you not sleep w-“ Haise cut himself off when he looked up from the eggs he was making to actually see the young investigator. “…Why are you wearing an eyepatch?”  


Mutsuki gave a wane smile, sitting at the table next to Saiko, who was scarfing down toast soaked through with runny eggs. “I have a black eye. I didn’t think it would be professional to show up at work today looking the way it does, so…I improvised.”  


“Is _that_ what you were in the bathroom for so long for? Psht!” Shirazu scoffed, waving his fork. “A black eye ain’t nothin’, Mutsuki. If anyone tries to give you shit for it, I’ll pop ‘em two black eyes!”  


“You can’t go around punching people in the face,” Haise scolded, coming over to the table with a plate fixed for Mutsuki. He went back into the kitchen immediately to clean up the remnants of the breakfast dishes he used to cook.  


“I think it’s stylish, Mucchan,” Saiko piped up finally, bringing her empty plate to Haise to wash.  


Mutsuki blinked. “Really?”  


Saiko tossed a grin over her shoulder. “Yeah. I think you should make it a permanent addition to your wardrobe.” She trotted back into the other room, making her way up the stairs.  


"Oy, you're not even dressed. Are you going to work today?" Shirazu called out to her exasperatedly. She shrugged in response. 

“How did you end up getting a black eye anyway?” Haise asked Mutsuki, ignoring the other exchange, his brow furrowing as he rinsed the dishes. “You looked fine when I saw you last night.”  


Mutsuki’s throat closed up, fingers gripping anxiously at the fabric of his pants. “Must have had a nightmare and moved around in my sleep, I-I’m not sure.”  


“Y’know if it’s really bad you should ice it to take the swelling down. Hey Mutsuki, can I see? I’m pretty good at dealing with black eyes,” Shirazu leaned over, reaching for the eyepatch.  


The faint-hearted investigator had hardly touched his breakfast before he was pushing his chair back, heart pounding in his chest. “I’m, actually going to go on ahead to work now,” he stammered, excusing himself hastily.  


Shirazu looked confused, frowning. “I was just tryin’ to help. I hope I didn’t upset him.”  


Haise sighed. “Can you take over finishing the dishes, Shirazu? Don’t look at me like that, they’re mostly done. I’ll go talk to him.”  


Haise caught Mutsuki as he was putting on his shoes. “A-Ah, Sasaki-san…” he looked nervous.  


“Before you head out, can I speak with you?” he was frowning, a rare serious expression on his face. Mutsuki could have made up some flimsy lie about how he would be late, that he had some paperwork that he’d pushed off that had to be done before noon, and he knew if he did that that Sasaki would let him go, but he couldn’t manage. He couldn’t lie to Sasaki. One visible eye to the floor, Mutsuki nodded. “Let’s go talk in my room, it’s less likely that Shirazu or Saiko will overhear.”  


Mutsuki let himself be led back to Haise’s room, a place in the house he hadn’t been in yet in the few short weeks the squad had been living in the Chateau. It was a neat, simple space. If he was being honest, it barely looked lived in, the only signs of its occupancy being the slightly messed up bedsheets and a few books pulled off of the bookshelf, some papers spread on Haise’s desk.  


Haise gestured to a chair for Mutsuki to sit in, and Mutsuki sat. “Okay,” Haise said. “Now, what really happened to your eye?” Though the tone was serious, it was still kind, like a mother trying to reassure her child that he wasn’t in trouble, she just wanted to know where he hurt.  


Mutsuki fidgeted, looking down at the floor. “I…don’t know, actually.”  


Haise frowned. “Is it okay if I see it?” Silence. “Mutsuki, I can’t help you if you don’t let me.”  


Mutsuki knew that. He also knew that if anyone could help him, if there was anyone he could trust with something like this…it would be Sasaki. Slowly, he fingered the edge of the strap on the eyepatch before pulling it off.  


“Mutsuki.” Haise coaxed. “You have to open your eyes.” Slowly, slooowly, Mutsuki cracked his eyes open, glancing up at Haise hesitantly. He didn’t like the surprise he saw, mismatched eyes flitting back to look at the ground again immediately. “Oh…”  


“I don’t know how to get it to go back,” Mutsuki said on a whisper, trying to keep the panic out of his voice.  


Haise stood then, going over to where Mutsuki sat. “Can I see?” he said softly.  


After a moments hesitation, Mutsuki nodded. Haise touched Mutsuki’s jaw, lifting his head a little so he could get a better look. He was so close, looking so intently at Mutsuki’s face. His eye specifically of course, Mutsuki kept reminding himself, but it was still strangely intimate. He didn’t like people looking at him so closely, but with Haise he didn’t seem to mind.

He held very still for Haise as he inspected, and it wasn’t until Haise pulled back that Mutsuki realized he’d been holding his breath as well. “I’m not sure how to fix this…” he said, a touch of apology in his voice. The despairing look on Mutsuki’s face made him continue. “But I’m sure the doctor can help? He’s the one who did the surgery after all, he’d know more about this than me.”

“But,” Mutsuki blurted, then bit his lip. _I was hoping you had tips to make it go away, you know, since you’re…_ He cut that thought off really fast, remembering the last time someone had made reference to Haise’s ghoul side. He looked away instead.

Haise put a comforting hand on his shoulder, an action that made Mutsuki jolt a little and look up at his mentor. It wasn’t an unwelcome gesture. Haise was smiling. “I’ll tell you what, put your eyepatch back on and I’ll go down there with you. Will that make you feel more comfortable?”

Mutsuki blinked, then gave a small smile of gratitude, nodding. Sasaki was god sent, he decided. 

\--

“Hm well that’s interesting,” the doctor said as he examined Mutsuki’s eye. He pulled back after a minute or two, glancing at Haise before looking back to his patient. “It doesn’t look like yours does.” Haise shifted a bit, scratching at the skin under his left eye subconsciously at the mention of his kakugan.

“Is that bad?” Mutsuki had been trying very hard up to this point to hold still while the doctor looked at his eye, and now he was just glad he had his own personal space bubble intact again. Funny, how it was so bothersome with the doctor but he hadn't minded earlier with Sasaki. He chalked it up to knowing Sasaki better.

The doctor shook his head at the question. “No, I suspect it has something to do with the quinque steel frames that are covering your implanted kakuhou. You have more RC cells than the average human, but not enough to be a full ghoul, so your sclera is duller when your kakugan is showing, making it a grey instead of a pitch black,” he explained, tapping below his eye.

“Is…is there anything that can be done to make it go away?” Mutsuki continued. “I’m sure you understand, working in the CCG, it would make for a tense work environment if this…thing, always looked like this.”

The doctor blinked, silent for a moment. “Oh, you wanted me to fix that? No, no, I don’t think I could do that. It’s a physiological response, something akin to a reflex or an instinct. I think you’d have better luck asking First Class Sasaki about that,” he laughed, and Haise gave a half-hearted smile in return. “Until you can learn to control it, I suggest you keep wearing that eyepatch of yours.”

It wasn’t the answer Mutsuki was looking for, and after thanking the doctor for his time he left the office frustrated.

“I’m sorry about that back there,” Haise said. “I wish I knew how to help.”

Mutsuki hesitated for a second before responding. “Well then…if you don’t mind me asking, Sasaki-san…how do you do it? With yours, I mean.” He’s not sure how this question will be received, heart thumping anxiously the longer Haise is silent as they walk through the corridor towards the CCG’s offices. “Ah, I’m s-“

“No it’s okay,” Haise said quickly. “Sorry I was just, thinking. I don’t know really, it’s like the doctor said. It’s kind of a reflex, you don’t really notice once you’re. Good at it.” Mutsuki is silent. “Sorry I can’t be more help,” he finishes lamely.

“It’s alright,” Mutsuki replied, shooting Haise a reassuring smile. “You’ve done more than enough today, you really have helped. Thank you.”

Haise was quiet for a second, but his steps seemed lighter, a small smile on his face. It soon broke into a grin though. “ _Eye_ -m so glad you think so, Mutsuki.”

Mutsuki just stared at Haise for a beat before grinning himself, unable to help the expression. “You’re really hopeless, Sasaki-san. I’ve never heard a pun _cornea_.”

Haise just gaped in response, and Mutsuki never felt prouder of himself.

**Author's Note:**

> as i was writing and editing this, my right eye started getting itchy and watery. i'm having some eye troubles myself...
> 
> i probably won't update this series for a long while after this, since i fly out to school in a couple days and the new semester starts soon.
> 
> bother me on tumblr @ no-faceghoul


End file.
